Multiple clutch



July 28, 1942- F./ L. LAWRENCE 2,291,241l

MULTIPLE CLUTCH Filed nay 19) 1941. 2 sneets-sheet` 1 if) a July 28, 1942.` F. L.. LAWRENCE MULTIPLE CLUTCH Filed May, 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TURNEY,

Patented July 19.42`

UNITED l STATES PATENT oFFlcE MULTIPLE CLUTCH 'Frank Lendrum Lawrence, Renton, Wash.

Application May 19, 1941, Serial No. 394,153

Claims. (Cl. 192-87) f to provide means whereby the clutch parts are so segregated from the transmission gear that lubricating oil cannot pass from the transmission gear to the clutch parts, and to provide means whereby the driving connection between the- I clutch and the transmission may be withdrawn from the clutch without' removal of fastenings v or other parts.

The invention consists essentially of a clutch assembly having two coaxially mounted clutches and uid means for jointly or severally operating said clutches, as will be more fully described inthe following specication and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a, longitudinal sectional view of the invention showing the clutches and the change speed transmission to' which it is attached.

Fig. 2 is a reduced scale view of the outer clutch ilange taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the planetary train taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the clutch and brake control. y

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the preferred type of control valve.

Figs. 6 and 7 are face views of the valve parts taken on the lines 5-5 and 1-`-I of Figure 5.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each iigure.

The numeral I indicates the crank shaft an'ge of a motor to which isl iitted a ilywheel 2. The motor is provided with the usual crank shaft housing, not shown, and to said housing a clutch and transmission housing 3 is secured. The housing 3 is made in sections to facilitate assembly and is provided with transverse walls 4 and 5 between which an oil sump 6 is deiined. The walls 4 and 5 support main bearings 1 and 8 respectively in which the entire transmission and the clutch driving .members are rotatably carried, so that by simply removing the fastenings between the housing 3 the transmission can be removed from the motor flywheel and the clutch parts mounted thereon.

secured to the face or the nyvwhee1 is a. mu1- tiple clutch I8 consisting of two separate clutches II and I2 capable oi' selective operation. Ro-' tatable with the iiywheel and secured thereto by bolts I5, one only of which is shown, is a cylinder head I6 walled as at I1 on its periphery to provide cylinders I8 and I9 and having at the outer extremity an annular clutch flange 20. 'I'he walls of the cylinders are splined and are fitted with annular pressure plates 22 and 23. The cylinder I8 is tted with a piston 25 having peripheral lugs 28, one only shown in Figure l,

to which the pressure plate 22 is connected by bolts 2l. This piston is provided with a spring pressed thrust plate 28 to return the piston to normal position of rest, this thrust plate abuts the ywheel. 2 and is held in position bybolts 29 so that on removal oi the clutch assembly the thrust plate and its parts will remain as a unit attached to the piston 25.

The cylinder I9 is provided with a piston 3|! which is provided with lugs 3|, one only shown in Figure 1, to which the pressure plate 23 is secured by bolts 82. Springs 33, one only shown,

serve to return the piston 30 to normal position.

Communicating with the cylinder I8 is an axially mounted tube 34 ythrough which operating iiuid is adapted to be forced from' a suitable source of supply. Concentrically mounted around the tube 34 is a tube 35 which is axially slidable with and communicates with the cylinder I9, leading from the same source of supply to actuate the piston 3|).-A

Clutch plates 3'I and 38 each splined on their outer periphery are fitted between the iiywheel 2 and pressure plate 22 and between the pressure plate 23 and the clutch flange 20 respectively. The clutch plate 3l is connected by splines 4I! to a bell 4I and the clutch plate 38 is connected by splines 42 to a bell '43, which bell is concentric within the bell 4|. The'bell 43 is provided with a hub 44 which is splined upon a hollow shaft which is concentric with the operating iiuid pipes 34 and 35. 'I'he shaft 50 is fitted with a sun gear 52. The rear end vof the shaft 50 is iitted with the hub 53 of a brake drum 54 and the hub is Journalled in a bearing 55 carried from anl open brake housing 56 from the wall 5 of the housing 3.

Journalled in the main bearings 1 and 8 is a mainsleevell which istted intermediate its length with a power take 0E pinion or sprocket 6I and has formed at its inner end a cage 52 in which planet gears 63 in mesh with the sun gear 62 are rotatably carried. 'I'he planet gears 63 mesh with a ring gear 6l which is carried on annular members 66 and 88. The member 65 form's part of the bell 4I and both members are journalled in bearings 61 which are carried on the hubs of the cage 62. The left hand end, see Figure l, of the cage is a bushing 68 which journals the hub of the bell I3. The ring gear 6l and the members 65 and 66 form a rotating housing 68. Supported from the member 66 is a brake drum 18 which obviously rotates in unison with the bell 4I.

The brake drums 64 and 18 are provided with brake bands respectively indicated by the numerals 12 and 13, mounted to be self energizing and which are actuated by suitable iluid means to be hereinafter described.

Mounted in a subsidiary housing 'I6 is a gear 11 driven from a pinion 18 upon the main sleeve 68 and mounted outside the housing 16 is an oil pump 19 driven by the gear 11. The pump 19 derives its supply from a suction pipe 88 communicating with the housing 6 and delivers its oil through a pipe 8I to the interspace between the hollow shaft 58 and the main sleeve 68 and through outlets 83 in a branch pipe 84 into the housing 6 and onto the main sleeve 68 and its associated parts. The oil passing between the shaft 58 and the main sleeve 68 discharges into the cage 62 where it lubricates the planetary train and through a duct 85 to the planet gears 63 and the rotatable housing 68, finally passing out through the openings in wall of 66 into a collector ring 86 and through an opening 81 leading into the housing 6. Oil will fill the subsidiary housing 16.

The outer end of the tubes 34 and 35 leads into suitably gladed chambers indicated by the numerals 88 and 83 whichare in communication with suitable sources of supply of fluid pressure to actuate the clutches II, and I2.

Fluid pressure for actuating the brakes and clutches is derived from a suitable source of supply through a pipe 95 (Figure 4) which connects with a manual control valve 96. The control valve 96 consists of a body 91, see Figures 5 and 6, having an inlet port 88 connecting with the pipe 95, a central exhaust port 89 and transfer ports I8Iand I8I to which are connected pipes |82 and |83. Fitted within the body 81 is a rockingly mounted disc |85 having an arcuate ported passage |86 capable of simultaneous registry with the inlet port 98 and one or both of the transfer' ports 188 and I8I and a T-shaped ported passage |81 which communicates with either or both the transfer ports and the exhaust port 98. 'I'his disc is iitted with a lever I 88 -by which it may be rocked.

The brake bands 12 and 13 are actuated by cylinders II8 and III .respectively which are shown diagrammatically in Figure 4, each cylin-Y der includes a piston II2 and piston rod II3, which latter is connected to the brake band.

Pressure is constantly applied to the front of each cylinder II8 and III from the supply pipe 35 to apply theV brakes when the rear end of the cylinders is open to exhaust through the pipes |82 and |83, the transfer ports |88 and I8I and the exhaust port 83 ofthe control valve 86. The pipes |02 and I 83 connect not only with the brake bands but with the cylinders of the clutches II and I2, so that when the valve 96 is set as shown in Figure l both clutches are inactive and their pistons, 26 of cl'utch II and 38 the springs of the thrust plate 28 and the springs 33 respectively. When the handle |88 of the .inders II8 and III forward against the counter pressure from the supply line 36 to take of! the brakes. It will be obvious that the effective piston area is less on the piston rod side than on the rear side adjacent the cylinder head, therefore, in spite of the pressure per unit of area being equal, the eilort upon the rear side of each pis- .ton will be greater than on the piston rod side and the brake bands will be slackened. When the lever is moved over until the arcuate passage |86 covers one only of the transfer ports. say for instance port I88, then the pressure will be exerted only to operate clutch I2 and release the brake band 12, while clutch II will remain inactive and the constant pressure from pipe 86 will keep the band 13 engaged to its drum 18.

The operation of the transmission is as follows:

When the hollow shaft 58 is rotated through the engagement of the clutch I2 and the ring gear 64 is held at rest, the planet gears 63 are rotated and caused to travel around the ring gear, thus imparting rotation through the cage 62 and the main sleeve 68 and the take oil pinion 6 I. When the clutch II is engaged and the clutch I2 disengaged the sun gear is held at rest and the ring gear rotated about it, consequently the planet gears 63 will travel around the sun gear and rotate the take oil pinion 6I at intermediate speed. When both clutches II and I2 are engaged both brakes are released the planetary train, the hollow shaft 58 and the main sleeve 68 will rotate as ilunit, giving engine speed to the take oi! pinion What I claim as my invention is:

1. A clutch adapted for mounting upon a iiywheel, a central member secured to and spaced from the face of the flywheel, said central member forming an integral, cylinder centrally located, a co-axially mounted disc consisting of a piston for the cylinder and a pressure plate, a clutch plate interposed between the pressure plate and the face of the flywheel, means for admitting nuid to the cylinder to move the pressure plate into engagement with the clutch plate and a driving bell surrounding the pressure plate and engaging the outer periphery of the clutch plate adapted for connection to a driven shaft.

2. A multiple clutch adapted .for connection to Athe face of an engine flywheel comprising a central member spaced from the face of the flywheel, said member forming a pair of opposing cylin- 'ders with a head common to both, an annular plate carried from the central member and being secured in spaced relation to the face ot the ilywheel, a piston for each of the cylinders adapted to be moved in one direction by manually controlled means and returned in the opposite direction by other means, a pressure plate connected to each piston, a clutch disc interposed between the flywheel and one pressure plate and a, clutch disc interposed between the second pressure plate and the annular plate, and means for connecting each clutch disc to its driven member.

3. A multiple clutch adapted for connection to the face of an engine ywheel comprising a central member spaced from the face of the flywheel.

of clutch I2, are returned to normal position by said member forming a pair of opposing cylinders with a head common to both, an annular plate carried from the central member and being secured in spaced relation to the face of the iiywheel, a piston for each of the cylinders, coax.

` the drive from the ywheel to a pair of aligned driven members, clutch plates and said driving' bells being s plined to provide driving means between each clutch plate and its driving bell.

4. A multiple clutch adapted for connection to the face of an engine iiywheel comprising a central member spaced from the' face of the iiywheel, said member forming a pair of opposing cylinders with a head common to both, an annular plate carried from the central member and being secured in spaced relation to the face of the ywheel, `a piston for each of the cylinders, coaxially aligned tubesv for admitting uid under pressure to each of the pistons to move them in one direction, and means for' returning the pistons in the opposite direction, a pressure plate connected at each piston, a clutch disc interposed between the ywheel and one pressure plate and a clutch plate interposed between the second pressure plate and the annular plate and a pair of coaxially arranged driving bells for transmitting the drive from the flywheel to a pair of aligned driven members, clutch plates and said driving bells being engaged to provide driving means between each' clutch plate and its driving bell, the driving bell of the clutch plate between the iiywheel and the first mentioned pressure plate being of greater diameter than the second named driving bell.

5. A-multiple clutchI adapted for connection to the face of an engine ywheel comprising two coaxial clutches, one of said .clutches being adapted for connection to a driven shaft in alignment with axis of the flywheel and the second clutch being adapted for connection to a driven sleeve surrounding the shaft, an annular ange supported by the ywheel and spaced therefrom, a pair of opposed cylinders having a common cylinder head carried by said ange, a piston for each cylinder and pressure plate carried by each piston, said pressure plates being disposed between the face of the ywheel and the annular ange, a clutch plate between'the iiywheel and the pressure plate of one cylinder and a second clutch plate between the pressure plate of the second cylinder and the annular flange, a driving bell for connecting each clutch plate to its driven member, means for admitting uid tol each cylinder to move their pistons in one direction landmeans for returning the pistons.

FRANK LENDRUM LAWRENCE. 

